A Fargo teacher has won $5,000 to develop an educational project focusing on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
"I am a huge history nerd," said Melissa Uetz, who teaches special education at Fargo's Explorer Academy.
Uetz said she had noticed, in an e-mail, that the Jack Miller Center was offering these awards.
"I thought that would be a really cool way to celebrate America's 250th birthday with my school," Uetz said. She also said the plan was to include the whole school.
"Each classroom is going to get a small library of books about the founding of our country," Uetz said. "Also, they will receive a little set of toys representative of what kids their age would have played with in 1776."
Uetz said each class will also be assigned one of the Founding Fathers.
"They will do some in-depth research, and create some kind of presentation, that will be displayed at our party towards the end of the school year," Uetz said.
At that party, Uetz said there will be some "Declaration information," where the Founding Fathers displays will be.
"We will also have a birthday cake or cupcakes, something like that," Uetz said. "We're going to have tastes from 1776. And then students will get to make and taste some homemade butter and homemade ice cream."
Uetz said there will also be crafts.
"We're going to make things that kids would have made back then," Uetz said. "We're going to make tri-corn hats and quill pens, and then practice writing with the quill pens."
One teacher from each state, and the District of Columbia, received the award.
